The Key to Understanding Vladimir Putin

> Former President Gorbachev has confirmed that it was never written down, but the historical record is clear: the West made what amounts to a gentlemen’s agreement not to expand, and then went ahead and did so, in two rounds (1999 and 2004).

Interesting how written - and unwritten - agreements are held - and broken - in various cases. Korea armstice comes to mind, as well as Budapest memorandum (of Ukraine and Crimea matter).

Great article. This is a hard one to compress so I recommend people simply read it. For me, the main takeaway is that there is great depth and detail to understand anything or anyone well. Most accounts that inform our opinion on topics like Putin or Russian geopolitics are simply far too simplistic, lending themselves to confirmation bias. These simplistic views are very entrenched due to their convenience. It’s refreshing to hear a very different take.

I enjoyed reading this. Does anyone have a recommendation for a biography of Putin?